Koop+Kraft

‘This time we feel we know what we’re doing’

George Purnell founded easy-dining restaurant Koop+Kraft in Hampshire. Last reopening was ‘intimidating,’ he says, and the legacy of bad feeling after Eat Out To Help Out remains.

‘I think the Government has their lessons from the last lockdowns. The “roadmap” is definitely a lot more simple than it has been before and the indication of the requirements for when we open sound like they’ll make a lot more sense and be easier to implement,’ he says.

‘This time we feel like we know what we’re doing. Last time it was intimidating because we had to do so much that we weren’t used to, to ensure everyone was safe. We were held to such a high standard and there was speculation that hospitality would cause a spike.

‘We’ve got all the right social distancing and safety measures in place from last time so as soon as they say we can open, the doors will be swinging open. We’ve got a new menu and are doing as much as we can to keep ourselves fresh to make sure our customers want to come back. We’re not doing any offers or discounts this time, because I have a feeling that Eat Out To Help Out will make a comeback in some way or another at some point.

‘It’s welcomed that they’ve set out specific support for hospitality, because it felt like we’d been scapegoated after Eat Out To Help Out. The main industry that suffered throughout the tier system was the hospitality industry, but we didn’t get as much support as others.

‘The restart grants are great and welcomed, but we’d prefer more support in other ways. For example, the five per cent VAT and business rate reduction being longer-term. There also could have been more done to help tenants manage the rent debt that has been accrued during the time they’ve been closed.’